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Tag Archives: Sega

A little over a year ago, Nintendo released the Nintendo NES Classic Edition. This popular home console was a miniature-style of the Nintendo Entertainment System. It had 30 games to choose from. From Balloon Fight to The Legend of Zelda, every popular title was built into the machine. Unfortunately, the product was discontinued for a while (being that they sold out like HOT CAKES within five months!); but Nintendo plans to relaunch the console this summer.

Nintendo truly made an incredible move with their marketing strategy. By adding consoles like the Nintendo NES Classic Edition and Super NES Classic Edition, Nintendo roped in a lot more audiences into their brand. Young professionals that grew up playing Super Nintendo or NES can choose to play through those games again. Nintendo is still introducing new titles for the Nintendo Switch, yet they continue to produce content for the older generation as well. This console sent shock-waves out to other gaming companies.

While those Nintendo NES Classic Editions have been on hiatus, Sega has been working on their own plans. This year, Sega plans to release… The Sega MegaDrive Mini.

The Sega MegaDrive — almost 30 years later after its initial release and a mini version of it will be released this year. It introduced controversial games such as Mortal Kombat and Night Trap; we were also introduced to Sega’s mascot Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic was to Sega as Mario was to Nintendo.

No word yet about what titles will be released or when the console will be released in America, but It will first be released in Japan this year. After that, the Sega MegaDrive Mini will be distributed all around the world later on. Either way, we can look forward to another Sega Genesis console coming out.

The 90s console war just got real interesting – after learning about Nintendo’s success, Sega is now jumping in on the nostalgic bandwagon. Nostalgia is the key idea that is generating a lot of profit, being that businesses are seeing a lot of success happening for them. Sega wants to reap in those profits through this winning marketing strategy as well.

Two decades later and we still have the most popular video game companies competing against each other. Nintendo and Sega are working harder than ever to further their business, all in the name of healthy competition. Both companies have come so far, so it will be interesting to see which one is voted the better console in the future.

In the end, its just another round between Nintendo and Sega. Nintendo NES Classic Edition VS. Sega MegaDrive Mini – let the games begin.

Christmas was one of my favorite holidays of all time when I was a kid. The weather was getting colder, snow was falling around the Doyon School playground, and all of my friends were talking about what presents they wanted from Santa Claus. Santa Claus always came to my house in Ipswich and he got me some of the best gifts ever. What made Christmas even better were the 2-3 week vacations we had from school to celebrate Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day.

That was back in the 90s, when things were so much better during my childhood. Some of my favorite Christmas gifts were from the 1990s (the Super Nintendo, Donkey Kong Country 64, the mini pool table, and even a karaoke machine just to name a few!). I still get Christmas gifts as I get older, but the magic wasn’t as good as it was 20 years ago. The 1990s had some of the coolest toys that all of the boys and girls were asking from Santa Claus. Here were some of the most popular gifts that every boy and girl wanted for Christmas during the 1990s:

Game Boy Color: Long before kids were playing Angry Birds on their mobile phones, every kid was hooked on the Game Boy Color. This sleek and pocket-sized console was every gamer’s dream present from Santa. It was the first portable console that you could play…ANYWHERE (which was a HUGE deal for gamers at the time!). I’m happy to say that I owned one of these badboys as a kid!

Lite Brite: This was a unique toy where you created colorful designs through little light bulbs. The Lite Brite made anyone an artist through the template designs that came with the product. It was the little artistic toy that lit up every child’s room in their home…LITERALLY!

Beanie Babies: There were some things you COULD get addicted to as a child in the 90s and one of them was collecting Beanie Babies. Beanie Babies were just as addictive as sugar and we all made it our goal to collect EVERY Beanie Babie on the market. #LifeGoals!

Dream Phone: Before people started sexting on their phones, girls were talking to boys on the Dream Phone. The gist was that there were one of 24 guys that really liked you and you had to call one their friends for clues. You played a boy’s photo card and called his number on the phone. Clues were related to the secret admirer’s sports, food, clothes, or special hangouts. Maybe it was that cutie Justin who wants to take you out to see Jurassic Park and for a pizza later. Oooh!

Tickle Me Elmo: Tickle Me Elmo will go down as the most popular toy everyone fought over. All of the hard-working moms pushed and pulled their enemies to grab a Tickle Me Elmo for their children. It sparked what was known as the 1996 Elmo Craze. Good job, parents! You made this Tickle Me Elmo craze a THING that will go down in 90s history.

Sega Genesis/Super Nintendo:Any self-respecting boy in the 90s knew that they had no friends unless they had either the Sega Genesis or Super Nintendo in their room. The Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis were the HOTTEST gaming consoles during the holiday season. I knew I was part of Team Nintendo when I received my Super Nintendo on Christmas in 1994. There were many horrific memories of whipping my controllers across the room when playing through Super Mario All-Stars.

Sky Dancers: These princesses were both beautiful and fun to play with. The dolls were hooked onto a pull-string base where you pulled the string and watched your Sky Dancer fly high into the air! These were initially released during the 1994 Christmas season, thus becoming a success with the audience. Fly high, young Sky Dancer!

Boombox w/ CDS: Before we shared music via our IPhone, there were these things called CDs that we had to place into our boom box. Every guy/girl wanted their own boom box to play their favorite CDs in their room. It was a time where we jammed out to Nirvana’s Smell Like Teen Spirit and girls dreamed of being a Spice Girl.

Easy-Bake Oven: It was a simpler time for kids before the internet: boys hung out and played video games for hours while girls played with the Easy-Bake Oven. Every girl wanted to get their hands on an Easy-Bake Oven to bake those sprinkled-covered brownies. I never got to try it myself and ALWAYS wondered if you actually ate the food you made afterwards (seriously, were these REAL treats that you could eat afterward?).

PlayStation: The PlayStation entered the 1990s-console war in September 9th, 1995. Sony brought Crash Bandicoot as their answer of a character used to promote the PlayStation. Crash Bandicoot was one of many popular titles that sparked guys’ interest in the newest console. It’s been 21 years since the original launch and the PlayStation console is as popular as ever!

Moon Shoes: Regular boots? Yuck! Moon Shoes? Hell yeah! The Moon Shoes felt like mini trampolines for your feet, letting you jump with anti-gravity effects. You couldn’t exactly jump to the moon, but you did jump higher with the springs. Kids wanted to spring their way into the new year with a pair of Moon Shoes.

Razor Scooter: Skateboarding and BMX biking were cool, as well as Razor Scooters. Scooters were popular in the late 90s/early 2000s. Every kid wanted a Razor Scooter, until the bottom half karate-chopped their shins during their sessions. Ouch! No more scootering anymore, time to go inside again to play more Nintendo 64!

Barbie: Barbie dolls helped girls make friends (as well as enemies) during the 90s. The Barbie doll had every kind of accessory to choose from. From being in retail to working as a dentist, Barbie was seen succeeding in any kind of career. Girls made fast friends in school through Barbie, but they also ran into some enemies that caused them to become green with envy. Damn you Jessica and your Ultimate Barbie Dream House! You’re not invited to my Barbie slumber party ever!

Furby: If we’re going to bring up scary toys, we HAVE to bring up Furby. Furby was this creepy, furry robot owl that spoke in its own Furby language. You really had NO idea what it was telling you and it wouldn’t go to sleep. It seemed like something like out of Gremlins, except there was no way to understand what he/she wanted. What do you want, Furby? Food? Drink? Comfort? TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT ALREADY!

Three months ago, Sega announced the release of the Sega Mega Drive Classics Hub on the Steam console. This nostalgic blast into the past featured hundreds of classic Sega titles that players could purchase for their virtual library. Gamers were transported into what looked like a kids’ bedroom from the 1990s with an old CRT-TV to play their favorite games. Sega really nailed it with their ingenious marketing strategy, but now they announced something even better.

Sega officially signed off on releasing the Mini-Sega Mega Drive Console. Designed to look like the classic Sega Mega Drive console from the 1990s, Sega’s newest console features two controllers and over 80 games pre-installed into the hardware. The device even provides a cartridge slot so that you can dust off those old games you stored away all these years! This device will also provide features such as becoming a Plug & Play for your TV, AV Cable, AC adapter, and the beloved Sonic the Hedgehog games that made Sega the company it is today. Fans can expect to get their hands on the Mini-Sega Mega Drive Console starting in October.

The Mini-Sega Mega Drive Console isn’t the only surprise for 90s gamers. Sega will also be releasing the Ultimate Portable Game Player Handheld Console. This Sega-branded handheld features an SD card slot to play ROMs on the go. Just like the Mini-Sega Mega Drive Console, the portable handheld system comes with 80 games installed. Other than the similar features stemming from the mini Mega Drive device, the handheld system will include a USB charging cable when you run out of battery.

90s gamers will be sure to enjoy from the myriad of timeless classics featured into the devices. Titles featured will include Altered Beast, Golden Axe, Sonic the Hedgehog, Mortal Kombat, Jewel Master, and many other classic games to choose from. Sega fans are sure to enjoy this virtual blast from the past right into their own homes!

With all of this 90s nostalgic excitement, it’s interesting to note that Sega isn’t the only company peddling this marketing strategy. Nintendo initiated the strategic bandwagon with their release of the NES Classic Mini. The NES Classic Mini is a mini Nintendo Entertainment System packed with 30 of the most treasured games to play. This cute design idea fits into the palm of your hand and comes with an HDMI port to plug into a modern TV.

A freshly manufactured NES game pad will be redesigned to capture that old-school feel of the device. Nintendo fans can expect to grab their hands on the device on November 11th for only $60. While you can’t insert your old games into the cartridge slot, gamers can play from one of 30 games stored into the on-board memory. Classic titles to choose from include Final Fantasy, Balloon Fight, Metroid, Super Mario Brothers, The Legend of Zelda, Pac-Man, and lots of other great games.

It’ll surely be an interesting Christmas season this year. Millennial gamers will want to ask Santa for either the Mini- Sega Mega Drive Console or the NES Classic Mini. Either way, both companies are paving the right paths to reach out to both the 90s gamers and modern gamers that haven’t even played the old console yet. Both audiences are being tapped and both will surely be getting the most bang for their buck.

More than twenty years later and the classic console still rages on! Who will reign as the top console in this year’s holiday sales? Will Sonic the Hedgehog help ring in more Sega sales? Could the Mario Brothers prove once again that Nintendo will be the dominant home console in America? Or maybe the Tickle Me Elmo will become re-branded as the surprising new toy that all soccer moms want to get their hands on. The classic console war will resume once again in this year’s holiday sales event!

Sega and Nintendo are really hitting home runs with their unique product strategy! Other than creating new titles for existing games, both companies are tapping into the millennial audience that are nostalgic of their favorite home console. I have played the Sega Genesis long before Steam started cranking out Indie games, but Nintendo was always be my home console of choice each time.

Who knows what’s in store for the timeless home consoles we grew up with in the decade of snap bracelets and Nirvana. Could we see a mini SNES console in the works with hundreds of games installed into the device? I for one would gladly put my hard-earned money towards that product! We may be pushing farther into the future, but we will always be nostalgic of our treasured consoles we grew up with. In the end, we can never really understand our future until we learn about our past.